Oscar-nominated for three documentaries, Wim Wenders (The Salt of the Earth, Pina, Buena Vista Social Club) trains his camera on the Argentine pontiff who has led the Catholic Church since 2013. His namesake, Saint Francis of Assisi, is famous for his love of nature, his devotion to the poor and his efforts to make peace […]
This vital portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg traces her history from trailblazing ACLU lawyer to becoming an outspoken, dissenting liberal voice on the conservative-leaning Supreme Court. The film also portrays a moving love story between Ruth and her husband, Martin Ginsburg. He was far ahead of his time in supporting his wife’s career. As the […]
NYC PREMIERE Surrounding Ghana’s Lake Volta — the largest man-made lake on Earth — is an active child-slavery industry. Sold by desperate families and abused by fishing masters, some 20,000 children work in perilous conditions. Activists like Stephen Kwame Addo, who escaped from such a fate himself, work to rescue as many children as possible and rehabilitate […]
As reproductive rights grow more embattled, award-winning filmmakers Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern (Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, The Devil Came on Horseback) trace the legacy of the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision. One surprising revelation is how much abortion rights were supported by Republicans in the 1960s. The film “reminds us […]
This program presents two films appearing in our Short List: Shorts section recognizing some of the top documentary shorts films of the year. END GAME DIRS: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman A moving film about the passage from life to death, End Game is a portrait of the last days of those in palliative care in […]
This program presents two films appearing in our Short List: Shorts section recognizing some of the top documentary shorts films of the year. TAKE BACK THE HARBOR DIRS: Kristi Jacobson, Roger Ross Williams On Governor’s Island, an ambitious program works to restore once-bountiful oysters and the environmental benefits they bring to New York Harbor. Take […]
On Governor’s Island, an ambitious program works to restore once-bountiful oysters and the environmental benefits they bring to New York Harbor. Take Back the Harbor highlights students at a remarkable public high school where environmental stewardship is part of the curriculum. Courtesy of Discovery/Motto Pictures.
As the daughter of Hollywood royalty, Jane Fonda has been in the public eye from a young age. Through the decades, she has taken on many roles, both on screen and in real life—sex symbol, Academy Award winner, controversial activist, tycoon’s wife and fitness mogul. This candid and entertaining portrait explores her many facets, the […]
Life, animated. Santa Is a Psychedelic Mushroom (USA, 6 min., Matthew Salton) embraces the shamanistic side of Christmas. Music & Clowns (UK, 7 min., Alex Widdowson) are Jamie’s greatest passions. Hiroshima survivor Akiko Takakura receives the spirits of her parents and is haunted by memories during Obon (Germany, 15 min., Andre Hoermann, Anna Samo). A […]
History is made, for better or worse. The Happiness Machine (USA, 24 min., Rebecca B. Blumhagen) profiles philosopher, inventor and farmer, Carl, who grew up a sharecropper on 22 acres in rural Iowa which he now hopes to pass on to his children as a gift of place. Using entirely archival footage, In the Absence […]